SPRING RECAP, 2023
A recap of my adventures in SPRING 2023
The weather warmed up and we celebrated the first anniversary of moving into our new house. Slowly we are exploring the sights of the Central Coast, as well as keeping a pulse on various happenings in Sydney.
Read on for my adventures…
TRIP TO THE OPERA HOUSE
The advantage of still working in Sydney is that I am only 25 mins away from the CBD, so I can pop in after work on a weekday for some adventures. A good friend and I headed to Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House to see a performance of Miss Saigon. Last time I saw this musical I was in high school! But first, we enjoyed dinner and drinks beside the harbour as the sun set.
LONG JETTY SUNSET
A household of artists/photographer enthusiasts are always trying to capture a good sunset. About 5 minutes drive away is the suburb of Long Jetty, and the three jetties in Long Jetty make for a perfect spot to watch the sunset over Tuggerah Lake. We brought along a drink and some chips and sat on the wooden chairs, walked along the original ‘long jetty’ (it was at a time the longest pier on the East Coast) and snuggled as the sun set.
RED GUMS WALKING TRAIL
I had some holiday time so decided to try out a new bushwalk; the Red Gum trail and Burrawang track – approximately a 3km loop in a section of Wyrrabalong National Park, next to Tuggerah Lake. I spent a peaceful Saturday morning weaving through the red gums (hence the name) with a few little lookouts of the lake along the way. Only came across 2 other people!
THE ENTRANCE MARKETS
I hadn’t planned to go to these markets, but I saw them as I crossed The Entrance bridge so decided to check them out. Located at The Entrance foreshore park, it made for an enjoyable morning wandering around past the channel, visiting a few stores and food trucks. The Central Coast has many great markets to check out!
TERRIGAL BOARDWALK
On the long weekend some good friends came to visit the Central Coast, so we met at The Haven, Terrigal and walked around the boardwalk to Terrigal shops for a cafe lunch. The boardwalk takes you around the headland between the small boat harbour and Terrigal beach. It’s a very pleasant walk on a sunny day, and if it’s warm, stop for a swim at either end or in the pool along the way!
STRICKLAND STATE FOREST
In the same holiday stretch I took myself off to complete a few walks in Strickland State Forest. The first bushwalk took me downhill to Strickland Falls. The dry weather over winter meant that the falls were barely a trickle. I climbed back along the ridge to my car.
I felt I hadn’t walked quite far enough, so I drove down to the forest floor at Strickland State Forest to walk around the creeks and under the trees. It was popular with locals who enjoy the freedom to bring their dogs.
MOUNT PENANG GARDENS, KARIONG
My neice and nephew came to stay for a few nights so I planned a funfilled adventure of things to do with kids on the Central Coast during the school holidays. We visited Mt Penang Gardens at Kariong and enjoyed running around the park exploring the plants. It’s a very accessible park with easy, concreted paths around the gardens and waterways.
WARNIES CAFE
I had received a hot tip that this cafe in Warnervale was the best for ‘Crazy shakes’. And boy did Warnies Cafe not disappoint! After running around the gardens we headed to Warnies for lunch and shakes in their garden play area. This old homestead-come-cafe is right on the train line, making it a perfect spot for a day trip!
FOOT GOLF AT MANGROVE MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB
Have you ever heard of Foot Golf?
Me neither. Mangrove Mountain Golf Club, a rustic 9 hole golf course opens up its greens each day at 3pm for Foot Golf. Which is basically soccer themed golf! You kick soccer balls around the holes, trying to dribble it into a large hole. Believe me its harder than it looks!
After we aborted all rules and pars, we just enjoyed using out feet (and at times, our hands) to kick the ball around. It’s a great way to tire out the kiddies, and you get to see ducks and kangaroos hanging on the course!
AMAZEMENT PARK AND ZOO
To continue the animal and outdoorsy theme of the niblings visit, we took them to Amazement Park and Zoo. It’s a perfect, small theme park with a small range of zoo animals (including camels and lions) which you can only see if you do the guided train ride. Then you can see a number of native animal displays and participate in some feeding opportunities or go on a few small rides and solve mazes. I would say this park suits children under ten. It’s small and easy to manage and has enough options to keep young children entertained!
LAKE MACQUARIE ARTISTS TRAIL OPEN STUDIOS
About half an hour away from our place is the northern end of the Central Coast and the large region of Lake Macquarie. There are a number of suburbs and towns dotted around the lake and each year an open studio artist trail is held. We braved some rain and spent the day out visiting local artists in the area.
We ended up at Mark’s Point, a hamlet of houses and a few shops on the eastern fringe of the lake. After lunch at a cafe we explored a local art shop. There are some great views of the lake from the end of peninsula that is Mark’s Point.
CAVES BEACH
After exploring a few artist’s studio I took my partner to the famous Caves Beach. It’s known for its coastal caves that you can explore at low tide. We spent about an hour exploring this famous beach near the town of Swansea.
And before you know it, Spring was over. The weather was warming up as the end of the year was approaching. Meanwhile the usual state of busyness soon took over as Summer began.
Stay tuned for the next recap!
